The Role of PlanOlathe in Shaping the Future of the City

PlanOlathe, in its broadest form, is a statement of what the community strives to achieve. The Plan provides basic policies to guide activities that are an integral and essential component of community planning. The Plan will help to determine public investment priorities and act as a general framework for future development. The Comprehensive Plan must have the flexibility to address changing conditions and adapt to new situations that may not be anticipated today.

A major goal in the preparation of PlanOlathe was to simplify land use planning by reducing the number of policy layers associated with area plans, corridor plans, neighborhood plans, and other documents while preserving the quality analysis and recommendations that are found in those documents. Toward that end, the land use recommendations within previously adopted land use plans have been integrated into PlanOlathe and have helped to shape the principles, policies, and land use designations found in the Plan. The Comprehensive Plan is the document that will guide the Planning Commission and City Council when evaluating development applications, rezonings, and other land use policy decisions. Previously adopted design guidelines and overlay districts associated with existing area and corridor plans will remain in effect and continue to be applied. As PlanOlathe is implemented, design guidelines and overlay districts will be reviewed and adapted to function within the framework of the Comprehensive Plan. Detailed research and analysis within existing area and corridor plans will be retained as supplementary information and an ongoing resource in the appendices of this plan.

PlanOlathe is intended to work in concert with the City’s various functional master plans, including the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, Transportation Master Plan, service and utility master plans, and the City’s overall strategic plan for City services. Implementation of PlanOlathe will require coordination and alignment between PlanOlathe and these other plans to ensure a common vision and consistent policy recommendations.